Coin-actuated scale



March 26, 1929. R F VOGEL 1,707,103

COIN ACTUATED SCALE Filed June 4, 1928 Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT CHRISTOPH FREDERIK VOGEL, F HAMBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FIRM 0F VOGEL & HALKE, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

GOIN-ACTUATED SCALE.

Application filed June 4, 1928, Serial No. 282,757, and in Germany September 21, 1926.

The present invention refers to a coin actuated scale, in which the movement of the hand lever is transmitted to a locking lever by a coin, token, counter, or the like in such mannerthat by the said lever an indicating mechanism is released to allow the same to adjust itself to indicate the weight. For transmitting the movement of the hand lever to the locking lever two slides are operated in the same direction preferably in a straight line, and by means of the coininsertedbetween them the movement of the ,oneslide engaged by the hand lever is transmitted to the other slide, which may be termed the counterslide, which effects the release of the looking lever. To ensure a correct operation of the scale and the proper sequence of the single functions the following provisions are made. The counter-slide does not effect the adjustment of the locking lever in the position of releasing the indicator until it returns after the hand lever is allowed to slip back; the return movement of the looking lever into locking position is slowed 2 down by a damping device; the last part of the return movement .of the counter-slide is retarded, so that the slide operated by the hand lever willbe moved to its initial position sooner than the counter slide.

:::1 The releasing movement of the locking lever will not commence before the return movement of the counter slide to safeguard the scale against operating before both slides have completed their movement. Thereby as any misusage of the scale is prevented. The

slowing down ofthe return movementof the locking lever ensures the free play of the 1 indicating device for a sufficient length of time to permit the handle of the indicator to an be unobstructedly operated by the returning locking lever in proper manner. The retardation of the last part of the. return movement of the counterslide thus producing a relative advance movement of the other slide has the effectof separating the slides so that the coin is no longer held between the two slides, being permitted to drop down. 3 f

Misusage of the scale therefore is prevent-- ed by the'fact that the indicator does not start the very moment a pull on the hand lever is exerted, but when the hand lever is allowed-to return and moreover by the fact that up to this moment the coin is held between the two slides.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the indicator mechan sm in plan in two different positions, the dial together with the pointer being removed.

Figs. 3 and l are detail views at right angle to one another of the slides holding a coin. y

The shaft 1, on which the usual pointer (not shown) is attached, is rotated by a rack 52 engaging a toothed. wheel Qkeyed to the shaft 1-. The rack 2 is rotatably connected with the usual bell crank lever 3, which is connected with the draw bar 3 connected with and operated by the platform by the weighing spring 3 as is well knownin scales of this kind. As is also well known the draw baris sectional, the lower section being connected to the main springs 3 which are tensioned by the weight of the. person standing on the platform,- while the upper section of the draw bar, owing to its being held by the locked bell crank lever 3, will only follow the tension of the spring 3 when the bell crank lever 3 is released to operate the indicator proportionately to the distance the two sections of the draw-bar are separated, which distance depends on the weight of the load on the platform of the scale. ll loreover, as is also known, on the indicator shaft In looking disk 4 is firmly mounted. Into the gap of thisloching disk 4 a tooth 6 of a; locking lever 5 engages in the zero-position of the pointer. v

The hand lever '7 I which projects out through a slot 7 of the casing A, is pivoted at 7 and held in its initial position by a spring 7", Fig. 1. y A lateral arm 8 of the hand lever has a slot 8 into which engages a stud 8 mounted on a slide 9. This slide 9 has a longitudinal slot 9 into which engage fixed guide studs 10 in such manner that the slide 9 may reciprocate in longitudinal direction on the studs 10 when the hand lever 7 i operated.

In line with the slide 9 a counter slide 11 is guided by pin-and-slot-connection on a prismatic guide piece .12, a spring 13 being adapted to pull the counter slide 11 in the direction towards the slide 9. The end of this counter-slide 11 is bifurcated, the

When acoin is introduced into the coin slot it will run along the coin chute up to'thie'head i l-oi the counter slidehen ;thereupon theghand lever 7 is pulled the slide 9 will hit against'thecoin, and by the aid of this coin. the counter-slide 11 will be moved, whereby the coin-is removed from the gap 'llCof the coin chute, but'will be stillheld between the slide 9 and the countor-slide 11; The-reciprocationof the two slides will thus also effect a free movement of'the-coin; Y I v I i V A pawl 16 is rotatably mounted on the countenslideli and connected with one end i of the spring 13, by which it will be held in: position engaging a stop '17 mounted on the counter-slide. When the counter-slide is longitudinally'mov'ed the pawl 16 will slip V 1 past a tooth 18 'on-the locking lever 5, Fig.

2. When, however, the hand lever? is allowed to slip back the coin will be released and may drop down tothe-bottom oi"- the casing or through an opening in the bottom o'f the'casing intoa reservoin To ensure this operation the counter-slide 111 should not return together with the slide 9 immediately; This object'inview a double-armed lever 19, 20 pivotally connected with a stud23, one arm QO of said. lever being bifurcated at the end to embrace the stud 8, while thearm 19 in the normal 'position'ot fthe" counte1'-slide, Fig. 1,. projects into an opening'21 of the arm 21, mounted on the v -co'unter-slide11. Inthe' described move- .7- by theinterinediary oft aspring 2 1 will manner the counterslide'll the hand lever oscillate the double-armed lever-19,90 in such manner that the arm 19-is drawn out I oftheiopening' 21 of the arm 21 and bears with its end against af 'full part of the-arm 1; When then the hand lever 1s released the arm 19 will preventat first the return movement of the counter-slide 11, it being engaged bythe arm 21, Fig. 2. Thus, not until the hand lever has returned into its normal position, Fig. 1, it etl'ects an oscillation of the lever 19,20-by the stud 8 in such manner thatthe arm 19 willagain enter the 7 opening 21 of the arm 21.

On the return movement of theeounter slide ll its pawl 16 acting on the tooth 18 efl'fects'a slight oscillation of the locking lever "5 to allow theflocking tooth (3 to be Withdrawn from the locking disk 1, whereupon the indicator mechanism will be moved into a position corresponding to the load of the platform of the scale the pointer thus indicating the weight.

To avoid the locking lever 5 being hindered in its movement, it is connected with an air brake 29, adapted to retard its return movement.

To e ent th i fr iro )in lown pi i e co n om p1 g into the reservoir in case the hand lever 7 is allowed to slip back before it has finished its operation a device is arranged to ob struct the return movement oi? the hand lever into its initial position before it has been moved into its end position. This devicecompri-ses a short rack '25 firmly attached to the bottom of the casing the serrationof this rack being very fine and adapted to be engaged by a teeth 26 on a pawl rotatably connected to a stud 27 on the slide 9. This pawl is connected with the spring 24 which thus influences the pawl. WVhen the slide '9 is moved from its initial position to its end position without interruption and also when moved back again from the end position into the, initial position the tooth 26 will not engage the teeth of the rack 25 in either direction. If, however, the hand lever is allowed to slip off prematurely the-tooth 26 will engage the serration of the rack 2 5 and thus preventthe return movement owing to the fact that the pointof the tooth 26 hasa distance from the centre line of the stud 27 slightly larger than the distance 01 the latter from the root of the teeth of the rack.

1 claim 1. A coin actuated scale ofthe type in which the-operation oi the hand lever on :1 locking mechanism for the indicating mechanism is transmitted by a slide operated by said hand lever and by a counter-slide by the aid of a coin coupling=the two slides together in one directiom comprising.a damping device and a locking lever, the damping device adapted to slow down the movement of a locking lever forming partof said locking mechanism on the return movement of the counter-slii'le when the hand lever is allowed to slip back for the object-ofreleasing the indicating mechanism from its locking position.

2. A coin actuated scale according to claim 1, comprising a member (such as a double-armed lever) adapted to initially retard the return movement of the counterslide to release the coin by the fact that the said member is adapted to be moved into the path of and to engage the counter-slide on the "hand lever being operated and to release the counter-slide on the hand lever returning into its initial position.

3. A coin actuated scale according to claim 1, comprising a locking lever and a locking disk-onthe dial shaft forming said locking mechanism, a pawl von the said counter-slide and a tooth on the locking slide returning to its initial position to relever, the pawl being constructed to slip lease the locking lever from engagement past said tooth on the counter-slide being with the locking disk. 10 operated by the hand lever by the intermedt In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 ary of the first named slide and the tooth name to this specification.

on the locking lever being positioned to be engaged by the said pawl on the counter- ROBERT CHRISTOPH R K V EL- 

